North-west of the Orc settlement, the four members of Dark Night’s Star were locked in combat against the Orcs.

「Bumoo~!」

Deflecting the Orc’s sword with her shield, she thrust forward, piercing the monster’s throat. With its throat impaled, the Orc collapsed to the ground, its neck partially severed.

「Seriously, there’s no end to them! Al, Sunyi, the area’s clear!」

Flicking the sword she had used to pierce the Orc’s throat to shake off the blood and gore clinging to the blade, Seryl called out to the two companions nearby.

「I’m still holding up!」

「No issues here either……Sis, two Orcs approaching from ahead!」

Drawing Seryl’s attention, Sunyi pulled her bowstring taut and released an arrow.

「Bugi~!?」

An Orc advancing under the cover of darkness was struck by several arrows fired in rapid succession by Sunyi.

「In any case, the initial assault took place in the east, so few Orcs should head toward our north-west sector. Al, finish off the Orc stuck with arrows!」

「Understood!」

Ordinary Orcs were rarely equipped with protective gear such as armour. While acquiring armour was not particularly difficult for them, their own physiology made it largely unnecessary. They possessed muscles several times stronger than a human’s, encased beneath a dense layer of blubber. An ordinary sword could barely scratch it, and even a forceful spear thrust struggled to penetrate the thick fat.

The same held true for Sunyi’s arrows. While the Orc looked like a porcupine bristling with shafts, the arrowheads had been halted by the thick layer of fat, inflicting no fatal wounds.

Even so, the arrows embedded across its body hindered its movements, leaving it momentarily sluggish.

「Go to hell, you filthy pig!」

Seizing the opening, Al threw all his weight behind his bastard sword and slammed the blade into the Orc’s torso.

「Bumoo~」

Although the Orc attempted to block the strike, the protruding arrows impeded its guard, allowing the blade to bite deep into flesh. More of a crushing cleave than a clean cut, the blow severed the Orc’s torso from its lower body, sending it crashing silently to the ground as blood and entrails spilled across the dirt.

「Hah, hah, hah……」

Having brought down the Orc, Al leaned on his sword planted in the earth, trying to steady his ragged breathing.

Al was originally a D-rank adventurer. When facing a D-rank monster like an Orc, he had the skill to prevail one-on-one, one way or another. In prolonged continuous engagements, however, his stamina was rapidly drained.

「Big Sis, shouldn’t we take a breather?」

Seeing Al’s exhausted state, Sunyi called out to Seryl. Seryl furrowed her brow and swiftly drove her weapon through the skull of the remaining Orc. Though her breathing was elevated, she clearly had stamina to spare, illustrating the difference in capability between the C-rank Seryl and the D-rank Al.

「Yeah. Al’s clearly struggling……even so, finding that rookie in this sea of Orcs is proving difficult. Any word from Murgas?」

Sunyi shook her head at Seryl’s question.

At that very moment, Murgas was scurrying across the settlement, searching for any sign of Rei. Though Murgas was a coward, Seryl’s threats, combined with Al’s pacification and Sunyi’s coaxing, had convinced him to carry out his role just this once. His task was to locate Rei’s mobile position once the night assault began, after which they would steal the item box if an opportunity arose. Since they could not mount an ambush without knowing where Rei was, Seryl and the others had no choice but to hold their ground, reluctantly battling Orcs in the meantime.

By all rights, their job should have been far easier, as the main fighting was concentrated in the east, on the opposite side of the settlement. Yet for reasons unknown, an unexpectedly large number of Orcs had swarmed their position, keeping their hands full.

In truth, the issue lay in the makeup of Dark Night’s Star. Although normally a four-person party, Murgas’s scouting mission left them with only three. Two of them were women: Seryl was in her thirties and Sunyi in her twenties, both in the prime of womanhood. Their presence naturally inflamed the lust of any Orc that laid eyes on them. Since founding the settlement, the Orcs had captured only two human women for breeding during their migration.

Consequently, several Orcs had defied the commands of their high-ranking superiors to attack Dark Night’s Star. Seeing their fellows engaged in combat, other Orcs had followed their base instincts and joined the fray……resulting in the current predicament.

「It can’t be helped. We’ll take cover from the Orcs inside that run-down hut. Al, catch your breath.」

「Hah, hah, hah……I-I’m sorry.」

「Honestly. It’s because you struggle so much with basic Orcs that you’re still stuck at D-rank.」

Seryl supported Al as he dragged his feet towards an Orc building untouched by flames. Sunyi brought up the rear, keeping watch on the surrounding area. At long last, the three managed to catch their breath.

「Good grief, those Orcs are an absolute nuisance. If they hadn’t swarmed us in such numbers, we could have tracked down that rookie by now.」

「Big Sis, shouldn’t we put stealing the item box on hold for now and focus on the Orc subjugation request?」

Al, having finally caught his breath, questioned Seryl, only to be met with a cold glare.

「Oh? Al, are you questioning my decisions?」

「No, but wouldn’t that make more sense? What if we get overwhelmed by Orcs midway through?」

「Hmph. Once we snatch that item box, we’re making a run straight for the Royal Capital. I couldn’t care less about what happens to the city of Gilm.」

At that moment, despite brushing Al off, Seryl was thoroughly exhausted herself. Enduring wave after wave of Orcs staring at her with lecherous eyes had taken a heavy toll. Even for a C-rank adventurer, the psychological strain had accumulated, leading her to carelessly speak her true thoughts aloud.

「Big Sis, what did you just say?」 Al asked in a hushed tone.

「What? About the city of Gilm? I meant every word. Why should you care about what happens to Gilm when we’ll be living comfortably in the Royal Capital? I’ve said it before, if this subjugation force gets wiped out, the knights from the Royal Capital will march in. There might be some local casualties, but the kingdom will handle it eventually.」

「……That might be true, but still……」

As Al’s voice grew more agitated, Sunyi called out from her post.

「Big Sis, Murgas is back.」

「Finally! Sunyi, stay on lookout. I want Murgas’s report the moment he steps inside. Al, our discussion is on hold. For now, you follow my orders.」

「……Yeah.」

Al gave a reluctant nod just as Murgas slipped into the building.

「Big Sis, sorry for the wait.」

「Honestly, you took long enough. Well? Did you find the rookie?」

「Yes, finally. Operating as a mobile unit, he descends whenever he spots Orcs to fight. A moment ago, he wiped out a detachment trying to sneak around to the rear of Axe of the Thunder God in the east. The group was led by an Orc Mage, but the Griffon blew it away in one strike.」

Seryl knitted her brows at the report. Because their goal was the item box, they had naturally wanted Rei placed in the same squad as them so they could ambush him whenever an opening presented itself. However, after they claimed the previous evening that a Griffon could not be trusted, Rei had been assigned as an independent mobile unit instead.

……Furthermore, several other parties had advocated for Rei to act as a mobile force, while an adventurer who had fed Set even petitioned Hobbes directly to have Rei join their unit.

「So, is the rookie still in the east, behind Axe of the Thunder God?」

If he was, launching an attack would be difficult. Just as Seryl was considering this, Murgas offered an unexpected reply.

「Actually, he seemed exhausted from continuous fighting and landed in an area untouched by fire to take a rest. Thinking we might have an opening to strike, I rushed straight back.」

「……Heh. An area untouched by fire, you say? Are there any Orcs or members of the subjugation force nearby?」

「No concerns there. There are no subjugation force members anywhere near him, and I only spotted a handful of Orcs on my way here.」

「And what about the Griffon?」

After all, the greatest threat when targeting Rei was the Griffon. Seryl knew all too well that even if every member of Dark Night’s Star fought with everything they had, their chances of defeating the Griffon in combat were nonexistent.

However, Murgas’s reply was equally unexpected.

「About that, it seems he sent the Griffon back into the sky to continue guerrilla strikes on its own. That’s why I hurried back.」

「……I see. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Resting on the ground while sending his Griffon ahead to keep racking up achievements…… What an idiot. His own greed is going to cost him his life.」

A broad grin spread across Seryl’s face as visions of a luxurious future danced before her eyes. Quickly regaining her composure, she addressed her party.

「Listen carefully. First, we will all surround and attack the rookie. Sunyi will lead with a preemptive strike using her bow. Ideally, aim for his head to take him out instantly, but striking his torso or limbs is fine as well.」

「Big Sis, are you underestimating my marksmanship? The kid only just registered with the guild. I’ll drop him in a single shot.」

Sunyi puffed out her cheeks in protest from the doorway, but Seryl shook her head firmly.

「You seem to have forgotten that the rookie took down Claws of the Hawk all by himself. Carelessness will get you killed.」

「……I understand.」

「Good. Once Sunyi’s arrow finds its mark, we rush in together and cut him down. Finish him quickly. If we take too long, Hobbes will realise we’ve abandoned our post.」

「And we head straight for the Royal Capital after that?」

「Yeah. Since the carriages and warhorses are stationed back with Hobbes, Murgas and Sunyi will quietly slip away and secure four warhorses if possible. We need at least two. Warhorses won’t collapse on the road, allowing us to ride at full gallop straight toward the capital. ……Well, with proper warhorses, we won’t have to worry about pursuers for quite a while, though we may need to swap mounts at post towns in an emergency…… Either way, Hobbes will certainly notice our disappearance eventually.」

「Even if we can reach the Royal Capital in a few days, what about provisions?」

「There should be plenty stored inside his item box. Even if there’s no food, we can sell off a few items in roadside villages and buy supplies with the proceeds.」

「Big Sis, even if we reach the Royal Capital, do we have the underworld contacts to fence an item box?」

Hearing Sunyi’s inquiry from the doorway, Seryl offered an assured smile.

「Yes. Back in the city of Gilm, I was acquainted with someone connected to an organisation that handles those exact goods. Naturally, I have his contact information.」

「Understood, Big Sis. Then let’s ambush the rookie before his break is over.」

「Right. Murgas, lead the way. Al, Sunyi, make sure the Orcs don’t spot us.」

And so, Dark Night’s Star embarked on their once-in-a-lifetime gamble under the cover of night. What was more, it was a gamble Seryl already believed she had won.

Had Murgas informed Seryl of the possibility that Rei could wield magic, the outcome of Dark Night’s Star’s ambush might have turned out quite differently. Murgas, however, possessed no knowledge of Rei’s spellcasting abilities. Knowing next to nothing about the biology of a Griffon, he assumed that incinerating the entire Orc squad, leaving only the Orc Mage, had been an innate skill of the legendary beast.

 

 

In a quiet corner of the Orc settlement, a single figure stood in an area untouched by flames. Rei appeared to be resting……or rather, he had carefully disguised his stance to look as though he were taking a break.

Set was nowhere in sight. While Rei’s primary objective was to bait Dark Night’s Star, who were targeting his life, he could not afford to neglect the guerrilla strikes supporting the other skirmishes across the Orc settlement.

(Besides, I can’t pass up the opportunity to rack up achievements for the guild.)

Rei mused to himself. In that narrow regard, Seryl’s assumption had not been entirely wrong.

And then……

(They’ve finally shown up.)

A prickling sensation crawled over his skin. It was the very same intuition he had experienced when confronting the Queen Ant and the Goblin rare species. Yet while the monsters’ hostility had been pure and direct, the intent directed at him now was murky with greed. That was to say……it was bloodlust.

Quietly channelling strength into the Death Scythe he held, Rei adjusted his grip beneath the folds of his Dragon Robe to keep his movements concealed, preparing to retaliate at a moment’s notice.

Though they crept forward stealthily to avoid detection, Rei’s sensory faculties far surpassed those of ordinary humans. His ears caught the faint rustle of Dark Night’s Star fanning out around him, and his sixth sense clearly registered the surrounding bloodlust.

Then, a taut creak reached his ears, the distinct sound of a bow drawn to its limit.

(I see. A preemptive strike with an arrow. In that case……)

As he formulated a countermeasure against the fools ambushing him……the arrow was loosed in the next breath!

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